Next: 26 Jan 2027
Republic Day (India)
After the morning flag hoisting, schools and offices hand out laddus and jalebi.

What is eaten for Republic Day (India)
Republic Day marks the day in 1950 when the Constitution of India came into force. There is no set menu, but there is a habit most Indians know from school: after the flag is raised and the anthem sung, sweets are handed out. Boondi laddus are the usual choice, and in the north hot jalebi from the corner shop is the breakfast of the day. Sweet shops and home cooks also make food in saffron, white and green, the colours of the flag.
The dishes
Written by the Thali desk with AI assistance. Background: "Republic Day (India)" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from family to family and place to place. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Jalebi: Gpkp, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Samosa: kspoddar, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Laddu: Rajdeep Das, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
